Bulkhead and bunker for refrigerator and other cars



E. A. SWEELEY ET AL 2,050,476

BULKHEAD AND BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR AND OTHER CARS Filed June 4, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F7 Iv Aug. 11, 1936. E. A. SW'EELEY ET AL 27,050,476

BULKHEAD AND BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR AND OTHER CARS Fil ed June 4, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/6.]I FIG-111' w INVENTOR;

- r W ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1936.

E. A. SWEELEY ET AL Filed June 4; 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 w LL Q 1 R k L I \9 A BY .Aug. 11, 1936. A EE Y ET AL I 2,050,476

BULKHEAD AND BUNKER FOR REFRIGERATOR AND OTHER CARS Filed June 4, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 6N N t INVENTORQ'.

M ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1936. A. SWEELEY ET AL 2 0, 7

BULKHEAD AND BUNKERFOR REFRIGERATOR AND OTHER CARS v Filed June 4,; 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES BULKHEAD AND BUNKER FOR REFRIG- ERATOR AND OTHER CARS Edward A. Sweeley, Alexandria, Va., and Norman T. Anderson, Washington, D. 0.

Application June 4, 1932, Serial No. 615,436

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to cars for transporting commodities of various kinds, and more particularly to cars of the refrigerating type. It has for its objects to provide improved features of construction in bulk-heads which separate the loading compartment from the ice or refrigerant compartment or bunker; also to provide improved means for hinging the upper end of the bulk-head to permit the bulk-head to be swung from a vertical to a substantially horizontal position, and to support it in its horizontal position substantially at the top or celling of the car; also to provide improved features of construction in the walls of the bunker or ice compartment of the car with the view of obtaining a more efficient circulation of air between the loading and the bunker compartments of the car together with circulation of air along the sides of the ice bunker, from top to bottom and from the bottom of the ice bunker into the loading compartment of the car and back into the ice bunker from the top of the loading compartment; also to provide an improved ice supporting grid or rack for ice in the ice bunker and embodying improved means for supporting the ice rack or grid within the ice bunker at an elevation higher than the loading compartment floor when the bulk-head is in its vertical position, and supporting the rack or grid substantially on a level with the loading compartment floor when the bulk head is in its elevated position and the bunker and loading compartment both used as a loading space for the commodities under transportation. It also has for one of its objects to provide means for securing the bulk-head against accidental movement into or away from the ice bunker when in its. vertical position.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be clearly defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and in which:

Figure I is a vertical, longitudinal section through a refrigerator car body, showing the ice grate or grid in position when shipment is being made under refrigeration;

Figures II and III show a vertical section through the car, Figure II being a section looking at the bulk-head, in its vertical position, from the loading compartment of the car, and Figure III a section taken substantially through the center of the ice bunker or compartment;

Figure IV is a horizontal section through the ice bunker mid-way between the floor and ceiling, with the bulk-head in position when the car is under refrigeration service;

Figure V is a horizontal section taken just under the position for the ice grid or grate, with the grid or grate omitted, and with the bulkhead in position when the car is under refrigeration service;

Figure VI is an enlarged cross section through the center posts of the bulk-head, when in the position illustrated in Figures IV and V;

Figure VII is an enlarged cross section through one of the bulk-head side posts;

Figure VIII is a longitudinal section through the roof of a car, showing the bulk-head in elevated position next to the ceiling, being the position of the bulk-head when the loading compartment and also the bunker compartment are used for loading the commodities;

20 Figure IX is a transverse section through a car, taken on about the center of the car, and looking towards the bulk-head in its elevated position, and showing hangers for supporting the bulk-head in that position;

Fig. X is a side elevation and Fig. XI a front elevation of a hinge used to suspend the bulkhead.

Fig. XII is a side elevation and Fig. XIII is a front elevation of one of the hangers used to support the bulk-head when raised to its horizontal position. beneath the roof.

Fig. XIV is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the retaining pin used as a component of the hanger.

Fig. XV is a fragmentary vertical section and Fig. XVI is a front elevation showing one of the end posts engaged in its boot.

Fig. XVII is a fragmentary vertical section and Fig. XVIII is a front elevation showing the two meeting posts engaged in the boot which receives them.

In the drawings, the numeral l designates a refrigerator car of any preferred type and formed with a bunker compartment 2 for a refrigerant and a loading compartment 3, for the commodities to be transported, one compartment separated from the other by a bulk-head 4 preferably of the construction herein described. The bulkhead preferably comprises a plurality of sections standing crosswise of the car body and each section hinged so as to swing from a vertical to a horizontal position and be supported at the top of the car when it is desired to increase the capacity of the loading space by changing the position of the bulk-head so that the area of the bunker or refrigerant chamber will be added to the loading compartment and to that extent increase the capacity of the latter, and at which time the refrigerating element may be eliminated. Each section of the bulk-head preferably comprises a desired number of upright posts, including end posts 5, additional posts 6 for the meeting edges of the two sections, and intermediate posts 'i. The posts are each preferably formed of metal channel bars 8 and spacing or filler blocks 9, preferably of wood, the channel bars and fillers being connected together by bolts l0 passing through the bars and fillers. The posts at the meeting edges of the sections are formed similarly to the others, with the addition that filler blocks l i fitting in the channels of the contiguous bars have their contiguous faces formed with gains or interengaging off-sets l2 between which cushions or pads 13 formed of canvas or other suitable material, may be positioned to form reasonably close or air tight joints between the meeting faces. The wall of the bulk-head, next towards the loading compartment, comprises a suitable outer sheathing l5 and inner metallic facing 55 between which is placed an insulation comprising any desired number of layers of woodboard IE, or other suitable material, with spacer blocks ii, at top and bottom, all suitably secured together, and preferably provided with metal caps 3 at top and bottom. The bulk-head wall at its upper end terminates below the upper ends of the bulk-head posts and at the bottom terminates above the lower ends of the posts so as to leave openings is and 29, respectively at the top and bottom of the bulk-head between the upright posts, for circulation of air from the upper part of the loading compartment into the bunker and from the lower part of the bunker into the loading compartment. A screen 2i overlies the opening l9, next to the loading compartments, and a screen overlies the same opening on the bunker side, the screens being attached to the posts by nutted bolts 23, or otherwise, and transversely extending metal bands 24 may reinforce the screens. The screen 22 and also similar screens 25 extend from the top to the bottom of the bunker, one for each side wall of the bunker, and are spaced from the side walls and from the bulkhead by vertically extending suitable spacing strips 25 so as to form spaces 21, extending lengthwise of the strips between the strips and also between the screens and sides of the bunker, for circulation of air from top to bottom of the bunker, along the sides thereof, the strips being attached by any suitable means to the side walls of the bunker. The upper ends of the bulk-head sections are suitably hinged so as to swing from their vertical position shown in Figs. I and II to a horizontal position beneath the car ceiling as indicated in Figs. VIII and IX, when the bunker and the loading compartment are to be merged into practically one compartment. The hinges for the bulk-head sections, there being preferably a hinge for each upright post of each section, comprise a leaf 28 having a hook 29 at its upper .end, the leaf being connected by a pintle 38 to a companion leaf 3! which will be attached to the upper end of a post by bolts 32 (see Fig. I), the upper end of the post being provided with a metal channel cap 33. The hook of the leaf 28 fits over the top edge of the upright flange of a cross bar or L-shaped plate 34 fitted to the lower part of say a carline 35, and bolts 36 passed through the leaf and plate 34 and. the carline secure said parts together as illustrated in Figs. I and VIII of the drawings. To limit the swing of the bulk-head in the direction of the bunker, an angle iron 37 is secured at a suitable point, say by bolt 38 anchored in a cross timber 39, so that when the bulk-head reaches a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, its upper end will strike the angle iron 31 which serves as an abutment to prevent further movement of the bulk-head. There is sumcient clearance between the angleiron abutment and edge of the bulk-head to permit the latter to swing without binding. When the bulk-head is swung to a horizontal position it is supported in that position by a stirrup, one for each section of the bulk-head. Each stirrup comprises a pair of hanger-plates 38 formed with a hook 39 at the upper end adapted to fit over the upper edge of the vertical flange of an anglebar 40 suitably positioned, say cross-wise of the car, and secured in place by bolts 4! passed through the bar and hanger straps and into a car-line d2 of the car as illustrated in Fig. VIII of the'drawings. To the lower ends of the hanger straps there is pivotally connected two swinging links or bars 43, each of which has a key-slot 44 in its lower end adapted to receive a removable holding or locking pin 35, said pin having a lug 6 at one end and an arm 47 extending laterally from the other end, and serving as a weight to hold the pin in locked position. When the bulk-head, or a section, is raised to a horizontal position, the free end of one of its posts passes between the swinging links or arms of one of the hangers and the locking pin is inserted through the key-holes in the arms and the pin partially rotated to bring the stud or projection out of alinement with the key-slots in the swinging arms so that the locking pin will be prevented from accidental axial displacement and the bulk-head will be held in raised position, resting on the pin. The weighted end of the pin automatically carries the pin into its locking position, with its stud out of alinement with the key-hole slot or hole in the lower end of the hanger.

When the bulk-head is in vertical position the lower ends of its upright posts are seated in boots 48. These boots, each, have three side walls and an open front side 49. The side walls next to the open front are suitably formed with guide ways or grooves 50 by bending the side walls, or otherwise, to receive a slidable gate 51 to close the open front and hold the post in the boot. The gates 5! are each formed with a vertical slot 52 to receive a nutted bolt 5?. anchored in the wood spacing block between the channel bars of the upright posts of the bunker head so as to guide the gates in their sliding movement. The boot for the posts at the meeting edges of the bunker heads in width corresponds to the cross section of the posts at such point, and the other boots correspond in width to the posts which they receive. Each boot is secured by rivets 54 to the bottom flange of an angle iron 55, seated on the floor of the bunker compartment, the top edge of the upright flange 56 of the iron terminating substantially level with the car floor of the loading compartment so as to provide for the swinging movement of the bulk-head. Each gate may be formed with a finger opening 57!, or other means for manipulating the gate.

Each ice rack for the bunker-compartment, and of which there may be any desired number, is composed of transverse metal plates 58, set edge-up, having bent ends 59, and end plates 8B to which the transverse plates are attached by rivets 6!, or otherwise, so as to form 'a' grated-or grid structure. The transverse plates are spaced from each other and braced by Z-shaped members 62 secured to the plates by rivets 63, or otherwise as illustrated in Fig, IV of the drawings. These grid racks rest upon metal I-be'ams or bars 64 supported by transversely extending members or plates 65, which may be disposed and suitably supported alongside opposite side walls of the bunker compartment. These supporting plates are formed with sets of recesses 66 and Bl extending inwardly from the top edges of the plates, one set of recesses 6'! being deeper than the other so as to support the I-bars 64 at different elevations depending on the recesses in which they are seated. With the I-bars seated in the shallower recesses the ice rack or racks will be above the level of the floor to the loading'compartment of the car as shown in Fig. I of the drawings, and with the bars seated in the deeper recesses the ice racks will be substantially at the same level as the loading compartment floor, as indicated in the same figure of the drawings, so that with the bulk-head swung to its higher position commodities in the loading compartment may be moved into the bunker compartment, and the area of both compartments serves for loading the commodities. This is desirable at times when it is not necessary to employ the bunker compartment for its otherwise normal function of serving to contain a refrigerant or a heater according as it is desirable to either lower or raise the temperature of the commodity compartment as may be required by the character of the commodities under transportation and the outside temperature of the zone through which the car travels. If it is not necessary or desirable to utilize the full capacity of the bunker for ice or other refrigerant, the grid racks may be raised and supported at the elevation at which brackets 68 are positioned to receive the I-bars G4 and the grid racks thereon.

Ice will be supplied to the bunker through a metal hatch-way 59 in the car roof, and a suitable drain W is formed in the bottom of the car. The numeral H designates the car floor, 72 a subfioor, and 73 an auxiliary slatted floor Whose stringers J4 rest upon the floor H.

While the improved bulk-head is illustrated in a refrigerator car having a bunker for ice, it is obvious that the same construction of bulk-head may be used in a car wherein the ice rack is replaced with a heating device in the bunker when conditions require a degree of heated air instead of cold air to be circulated through the loading compartment, and accordingly when the designation bunker is employed herein it will be understood to apply and include either a refrigerant containing bunker or a heater containing bunker, and the bulk-head construction will be understood to apply to the bulk-head whether or not a refrigerant or a heater or neither is included or contained within the bunker.

While the details of the various elements have been described with particularity, it is to be understood that changes may be made in such details without departing from the scope of the invention except where such details are definitely expressed in the claims.

An important aspect of the invention, so far as the bulk-head is concerned, is the fact that the bulk-head structure is carried by vertical posts which are directly supported by hinges on a transverse member of the roof structure and which are directly engaged not only by the hangers which support the bulk-head in' its horizontal position, but also by the boots which retain the bulk-head 'inits vertical position. These boots are so contrived as open sided members that they confine the lower end of the respective posts on three sides. and means are provided which engage the boots and close the fourth or open side of the boots so that the posts are confined on all four sides when the bulk-head is in its vertical or active position. In this way the posts become the primary structural or load-bearing elements of the bulk-head, and the sheathing of the bulkhead can consequently be relatively light and thus may be designed primarily for its heatinsulating characteristics. The subdivision of the bulk-head'into two separately movable sections facilit'atesthe shifting of the bulk-head between its two positions and avoids over-stressing the bulk-head in the operation of shifting it between its two positions.

Having describedour invention and set forth its merits what we claim is:- f

1. The combination of a car body having a floor, side walls and roof and including a transverse supporting beam in said roof; a plurality of posts hinged to said beam to swing between two positions, namely a substantially vertical position in which their lower ends are adjacent'said fioor and a substantially horizontal position in which the posts are adjacent the roof; a plurality of boots mounted on the floorand open at one side to permit entry of the ends of said posts as they swing to vertical position; locking members for closing the open sides of each of said boots to confine the posts therein; a bulk-head structure carried by said posts; and releasable means for sustaining the posts and the bulk-head structure, carried thereby, in said horizontal position.

2. The combination of a car body having a floor, side Walls and roof and including a transverse supporting beam in said roof; a plurality of posts hinged to said beam to swing between two positions, namely, a substantially vertical position in which their lower ends are adjacent said floor and a substantially horizontal position in which the posts are adjacent the roof; a plurality of boots mounted on the fioor and open at one side to permit entry of the ends of said posts as they swing to vertical position; locking members for closing the open side of each of said boots to confine the posts therein; a bulk-head structure composed of at least two complementary sections, each such section being carried by at least two posts; and releasable means for sustaining said posts and the bulk-head structure, carried thereby, in said horizontal position.

3. The combination of a car body having a floor, side walls and roof and having a transverse supporting beam in said roof; a plurality of posts hinged to said beam to swing between two positions, namely a substantially vertical position in which their lower ends are adjacent said floor, and a substantially horizontal position in which the posts are adjacent the roof, a pair of said posts being closely adjacent each other and each formed with an offset portion adapted to enter into overlapping relation with the 01T- set portion of the other; a plurality of boots mounted on the floor, said boots being open at one side to permit the entry of the ends of said posts as they swing to said vertical position; looking members for closing the open sides of said boots to confine the ends of said posts therein; a bulk-head structure formed in sections carried by respective sets of posts, the junction between 75 the said sections being located at those posts which have overlapping portions; and releasable means for sustaining each of said bulk-head sections and the posts upon which they are mounted in said horizontal position.

4. The combination of a car body having a loading portion and a bunker portion, the body including a roof, and a floor which is offset at the junction of the two portions, the floor of the bunker portion being lower than the loading portion; a bulk-head hinged in said car on a horizontal axis above the junction of the two portions to swing between a substantially vertical position in which it subdivides the loading portion from the bunker portion and a substantially horizontal inactive position beneath the roof of the car, said bulk-head including post-like members which project below the lower margin thereof substantially to the floor of "the car when the bulk-head is in the first-named position; a plurality of boots open at one side, mounted on the floor of the car adjacent said offset and adapted to receive said post-like members as the bulk-head swings to said vertical position; means adapted to engage said boots and close the open sides thereof to confine said members in the boots; a removable grating on the floor of the loadin portion, said grating having its top substantially flush with the tops of said boots; an ice rack; and means for supporting said rack in the bunker portion selectively in two positions, in one of which it is above said grating, and in the other of which it is substantially flush with said grating.

5, The combination of a car having floor, side walls and roof; a bulk-head comprising a plurality of sections hinged to swing on a horizontal axis adjacent said roof between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position beneath the roof, said sections being disposed edge to edge and each section comprising vertical posts with a wall section carried thereby and extending between the posts, the posts adjacent the meeting edges of said sections being offset to form an overlapping joint between sections; open-sided boots secured to the car floor to receive and confine the lower ends of said posts; and means for closing the open sides of said boots to confine said posts therein, whereby the posts are sustained against a lateral displacement in all directions.

6. The combination of a car having a floor, side walls and roof; a bulk-head hinged to swing on a horizontal axis adjacent said roof between displacement in all directions; and releasable 0 means for sustaining said bulk-head in said inactive position.

EDWARD A. SWEELEY. NORMAN T. ANDERSON. 

